Hardik Pandya is a natural leader, says Gujarat Titans mentor Gary Kirsten

Winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy in one's inaugural season was no easy task, but the Gujarat Titans (GT) managed to do the unthinkable. Led by Hardik Pandya, the Ahmedabad-based franchise surprised all with its style of play, despite being lesser of the favourites.

Gary Kirsten, the mentor for the Titans, has praised Pandya for his leadership skills, which came under effect during crunch situations on the field.

"I've been impressed with Hardik Pandya. Not having known him well earlier, I've got a view of him now that he's this cricketer who plates instinctively and takes the game on. He Engages in a lot of cricket conversations and wants to learn, wants to get better and improve and understand his players,"

"He's a fantastic cricket, but what stands him apart is how keen he is to learn. He is one of those players. And we've seen how leadership comes naturally to him," Kirsten told ToI. 

Pandya had a good showing with the bat, scoring 487 runs while also bowling in a few games. However, his spell in the final against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) turned the game head-on, where he scalped the wickets of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Shimron Hetmyer.

Speaking on Pandya's all-rounder skills, Gary said, "He is an impact player who can win games for you, and to have someone that could do it with the bat and ball, especially in a format as short and unpredictable as this one, is special,"

"It's a fantastic quality of him. He's engaging and keen to understand the players as best as he can to get the best out of them."

The former South African opener has coached India and South Africa and also spoke at length about his role as a mentor and what it meant.

"My job was to work with young batsmen and help them be the best version of themselves and also just to oversee the team and the way we were supposed to be heading as a team. I enjoy working with other people, I don't like to work in isolation, and I think the leadership team, Vikram and Ashish are simple-minded people. So we were in it together," the left-hander said.

The IPL opened opportunities for the likes of Yash Dayal, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Kishore, and Sai Sudarshan to showcase their talent on a global stage with the Gujarat franchise.

Kirsten was quick to highlight the importance of IPL as well. "I think it's only beneficial and creates competition, a genuine meritocracy where you just get ones coming through," the 54-year-old concluded.